Guangdong tests plan to limit water usage
A pilot scheme to limit the amount of water that businesses can use is being planned by the Guangdong provincial government to save resources and limit the amount of waste water.
The plan was contained in a document on water-usage limits, written by the Guangdong government's Water Resources Department, Development and Reform Commission and Economic and Trade Commission.
The water plan was primarily aimed at the industrial and construction sectors and would not affect regular citizens, according to a report in the Guangzhou-based Information Times.
Guangdong authorities recently stopped receiving public opinion on the document and will implement the policy on a trial basis soon.
'Even though there is a rich supply of water in Guangdong, the average amount of water available for each person is only a quarter of the world's average,' the newspaper quoted provincial government officials as saying.
'This policy could benefit various industries by saving water, increasing the level of water being reused and reducing waste water. It could be of historic significance to the province's overall economic development.'
The document listed the water-usage quota for 133 industries and 336 industrial products in the province.
The study also found that average water use per person in Guangzhou amounted to 210 litres a day.
After the trial was complete, all industrial, agricultural, public service and personal water use in urban areas would implement a quota system, the newspaper said.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong said he had not been informed about the pilot scheme, but added that his office would monitor its progress and how it might affect Hong Kong businesses operating in the province.
